Mixed use development on Arsenal Street approved

Monday

Jul 28, 2014 at 8:41 PMJul 28, 2014 at 8:41 PM

By Angie DeWittwatertown@wickedlocal.com

The 202-204 Arsenal Street project, a four-story development which includes almost 300 units, was approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals last Wednesday, July 16.The Hanover Company and Cresset/WS Venture LLC are working together to accommodate the town’s mixed-use development zoning requirement.The development will include 297 residential units, an 80-seat restaurant and a 33,000-square-foot market.The project will be less than a half-mile from Watertown Square and only three blocks from the Charles River, in addition to being within walking-distance of several bus lines.At the June 11 Planning Board meeting, David Hall of the Hanover Company said the team had been working hard to address the comments they had previously heard from the board, community and staff.One of the improvements/modifications presented by the developers in June was to create a notch in the façade of the building.The long stretch on the west side felt overwhelming to residents, so the developers created a notch that breaks up the façade, making it look like two separate buildings, according to Bryan O’Conner of Cube 3 Studio.The windows in the notch are larger and closer together, and there is no horizontal siding like the rest of the façade has.Residential condensers will be added atop the building’s roof, cutting off visibility of mechanical equipment stored there."It seems like you’ve done the minimum you could," Jeffrey W. Brown of the Planning Board had said at the time, noting that it was still an improvement.Arsenal is a theme – Hanover has to bring something into that to make it more of a part of the community, to respect the people, Fergal Brennock of the Planning Board had told the developers in June."The word ‘community’ needs to better become a part of what you are trying to do there," he had said.When the developers appeared before the ZBA last week, their project was approved with a few conditions.First, the developers must deemphasize the rain garden and reemphasize open space, said director of community development and planning Steve Magoon.They would still need to infiltrate their rainwater, but in a smaller area to allow more park space.Next, one year after the project is completed, developers will have to conduct a new traffic study to compare the results with their original traffic study. This will allow developers and officials to see how area traffic has been impacted by the project, said Magoon.There will also be improvements made to the community path along the length of the project, he said.The developers have yet to submit their building permits, but once they do they may begin construction, he said."They have done an excellent job of activating the street and providing a number of amenities such as the community path, open space and significant retail," said Magoon.